TheScottish immigrantsfrom the southern states of America had a custom of deep-frying chicken in fat and even prior to this they used to fry fritters in the middle ages. The Scrotish migrants would often work, live and eat with the African Americans and this lead to the Africans adding some extra spices to the dish andbuildingtheir own presentationof fried chicken. These Africans later evolved to be thecaterersin many a Southern American home where deep-fried chicken became a ordinary staple. They also found out that it travelled well inwarmclimatic conditions in the times before refrigeration was everyday so was eaten on almost an every day basis as they journeyed to the cotton fields to labor. Since then it has become the south's go-tofor just about any occasion.
This is said to have come from a fellow named James Boswell who wrote adiaryin 1773 named “journal of a Tour to the Hebrides”. In his diary he noted that at an evening meal the local folks would eat fricassee of pullet which he went on to say “fried chicken or something like that”. What he in fact heard was the Scottish dish Friars Chicken, not deep-fried chicken but you could say that where it was first named.
The very true origins of crispy deep-fried chicken we will probably never know but the earliest known dish for deep-fried chicken in English is stashed in one of the most renowned cookery books of the 18th century by Hannah Glasse named The Art of culinary Made Plain and Easy. Her recipe had a strange name known as “To Marinate Chickens” which was first published in 1747. The book was a hit in the England and more importantly in the Usa Colonies.
Here is the original dish...
Cut two chickens into pieces; lay them in vinegar for 3-4 hours with pepper, salt, bay and a few cloves. Make a very thick batter first with ½ pint of wine and flour then 2 eeg yolksa little melted butter and nutmeg. Beat it all together well, dip yourfowlsin the batter and fry them in a first-rate deal of pork lardwhich must boil first before you put your fowl in. Let them be of bronze incolour and serve them on your platter with a garnish of fried parsley. Serve with cut lemon and a fine gravy. Presently, we have swapped out the hog fat with Rapeseed oil which contains nearly zero trans fats and we use a brine of buttermilk and salt to season our chicken throughout. It’s amazing to think how far this mix has walked worldwide and how different cultures have adopted their own versions.
